Renato Sanches To Be Playable Character In Pokemon Go

Portuguese soccer player Renato Sanches will be an ultra-rare, playable character in Pokemon Go called “Renato”.

His agent, football power broker Jorge Mendes, has come to an agreement with reclusive Pokemon founder Satoshi Nakamoto and Bayern Munich to make Renato Sanches a Pokemon in the wildly popular mobile game.

Bayern Munich allegedly paid $5 million dollars to have Sanches incorporated into the mobile app as part of campaign to raise the club’s profile with millennials.

The 18-year-old midfielder will make a widely publicized move from Portuguese club Benfica to Bayern Munich this offseason. 

OFFICIAL: Renato Sanches has won the #EURO2016 Young Player of the Tournament award.

A star is born. pic.twitter.com/jwo3xnvKyy

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) July 10, 2016

Seeking to capitalize on Sanches’ newfound celebrity after winning Euro 2016 Young Player of the Tournament and the release of Pokemon Go in Germany, Mendes and Bayern Munich have executed a PR coup at the intersection of sport and pop culture.

#PokemonGo arrives in Europe, starting with Germany. https://t.co/72JVkzfeli pic.twitter.com/iuuKGGQUt4

— GameSpot (@gamespot) July 13, 2016

The Pokemon “Renato” will appear around Munich for the next few months. But don’t get your hopes up about catching one, the super-rare grass type Pokemon will only spawn a total of 50 times and you’ll need an Ultra Ball to catch him.